SpaceX is making steady progress building the platform at NASA’s Cape Canaveral site in Florida for the first spacecraft launch from the Space Coast.
On Tuesday, SpaceX installed the Ship Quick Disconnect (QD) arm on the launch tower of Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A). Space launch enthusiast website NASASpaceflight shared footage of engineers attaching the piece.
The Ship QD is a key component of the spacecraft’s launch tower. It helps stabilize the 400-foot-tall rocket by attaching it to the top of the first stage Super Heavy booster with giant grippers and pads, aiding in the safe and precise stacking of the upper stage spacecraft.
The arm is also connected to the ship and provides liquid oxygen, liquid methane, power and data.
SpaceX is building a number of Starship launch pads on the Space Coast, including another at SLC-37. The stated goal is to conduct up to 76 spacecraft launches each year from SLC-37 and up to 44 launches per year from LC-39A.
It is hoped that the first Starship launch from Cape Canaveral will take place this year, although the timing largely depends on regulatory approvals and infrastructure readiness.
To date, all 11 launches of Starship – the most powerful rocket ever to fly – have taken place from SpaceX’s Starbase facility near Boca Chica in South Texas.
The most recent flight took place in October last year and was considered the most successful to date, with SpaceX achieving the most mission objectives.
But there are still some major hurdles to overcome before the rocket can be used for crew and cargo missions to the moon, Mars and possibly beyond.
This includes putting the spacecraft into orbit, refueling the spacecraft in orbit for onward travel to the Moon and Mars, and landing it back on Earth in a similar manner to bringing the Super Heavy booster home.
NASA wants to use a modified version of the spacecraft “Ship” to land the first people on the lunar surface since the last Apollo mission in 1972. The Artemis III mission is currently scheduled for 2027, but the date could shift depending on progress in the spacecraft’s development.
